What are we listening to? (audiobooks)

[CRussel]

It would be useful, pwalker8, if you would include the narrator's name when commenting on them. Thanks.

I'm currently listening to Milk Run, by Nathan Lowell, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Excellent book, as are all of Mr. Lowell's, but the narration doesn't flow as well as one might wish. It's not awful, just mediocre. Not helping the book at all, which is a shame for a Lowell book, as he is a consummate storyteller and good narration just emphasizes that.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by CRussel

It would be useful, pwalker8, if you would include the narrator's name when commenting on them. Thanks.

I'm currently listening to Milk Run, by Nathan Lowell, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Excellent book, as are all of Mr. Lowell's, but the narration doesn't flow as well as one might wish. It's not awful, just mediocre. Not helping the book at all, which is a shame for a Lowell book, as he is a consummate storyteller and good narration just emphasizes that.

Sorry -

The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmell, is narrated by Sean Barrett, as are all the Drenai books (11 of them, Deathwalker is book 7 in publication order).

Take a Thief by Mercedes Lackey, is narrated by Paul Woodson

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher is narrated by Khristine Hvan.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by CRussel

It would be useful, pwalker8, if you would include the narrator's name when commenting on them. Thanks.

I'm currently listening to Milk Run, by Nathan Lowell, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Excellent book, as are all of Mr. Lowell's, but the narration doesn't flow as well as one might wish. It's not awful, just mediocre. Not helping the book at all, which is a shame for a Lowell book, as he is a consummate storyteller and good narration just emphasizes that.

I'm in the middle of Lowell's third Seeker's Tale book "By Darkness Forged.". It took me a while to warm up to any narrator other than Lowell himself after being used to his readings of the original podcast versions of "Trader's Tale" which I think he did a great job with. But Jeffery Kafer has grown on me. I'm looking forward to the "Smuggler's tale" books now that they are on audio. I haven't read them. I don't have any cheap Audible deals right now, though.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Sorry -

The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmell, is narrated by Sean Barrett, as are all the Drenai books (11 of them, Deathwalker is book 7 in publication order).

Take a Thief by Mercedes Lackey, is narrated by Paul Woodson

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher is narrated by Khristine Hvan.

Thank you! Makes it easier to keep track of narrators, both good and bad.

Originally Posted by ApK

I'm in the middle of Lowell's third Seeker's Tale book "By Darkness Forged.". It took me a while to warm up to any narrator other than Lowell himself after being used to his readings of the original podcast versions of "Trader's Tale" which I think he did a great job with. But Jeffery Kafer has grown on me. I'm looking forward to the "Smuggler's tale" books now that they are on audio. I haven't read them. I don't have any cheap Audible deals right now, though.

I had listened to the podcasts, though only long after I had read the books in the first place. Then, when the Jeffrey Kafer versions came out, I found the transition to them quite easy -- oh, a few things that jarred, but really not that bad. Probably because I started with reading the eBooks. But now, with the first (and one assumes the rest, shortly) of the Smuggler's Tales, the narrator is Emily Woo Zeller, and I am not enjoying her narration. Instead of allowing the narrative to flow, every. single. sentence. has. to. be. separate. and. distinct.

If this were another author, I'd send the book back to Audible. But I won't do that to Lowell. (And I know he had zero control over the choice of narrators or anything else. )

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Thank you! Makes it easier to keep track of narrators, both good and bad.



I had listened to the podcasts, though only long after I had read the books in the first place. Then, when the Jeffrey Kafer versions came out, I found the transition to them quite easy -- oh, a few things that jarred, but really not that bad. Probably because I started with reading the eBooks. But now, with the first (and one assumes the rest, shortly) of the Smuggler's Tales, the narrator is Emily Woo Zeller, and I am not enjoying her narration. Instead of allowing the narrative to flow, every. single. sentence. has. to. be. separate. and. distinct.

If this were another author, I'd send the book back to Audible. But I won't do that to Lowell. (And I know he had zero control over the choice of narrators or anything else. )

I listened to Lovell's Quarter Share and while I liked it well enough, I haven't bought the next one. I do have all his ebooks, so I like the stories but I found myself wondering how much more there was to go a number of times while listening to the audiobook.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

But now, with the first (and one assumes the rest, shortly) of the Smuggler's Tales, the narrator is Emily Woo Zeller, and I am not enjoying her narration. Instead of allowing the narrative to flow, every. single. sentence. has. to. be. separate. and. distinct.

In a different thread, I commented on an issue I have specifically with women narrators and this is another one. I truly hate to make a gender-related blanket condemnation, but I've only run across this with women, as well as a sing-song intonation as if they're reading to a dull child. Obviously this isn't all women narrators or most women narrators, but at least in my experience it's only women narrators.

Originally Posted by issybird

In my long-term quest to read (or listen to) all of P.G. Wodehouse in more-or-less order, I've started the first Jeeves novel, Thank You, Jeeves, read by Jonathan Cecil.

Several pages from chapter five were skipped! Presumably an issue when transferred to digital. This is an OverDrive borrow, so perhaps the Audible book has been corrected as I didn't see any complaints in the reviews. Fortunately, I also have the ebook so I was able to access the missing pages and not just have to wonder what (important, in fact) information was left out.

You get what you pay for.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

In a different thread, I commented on an issue I have specifically with women narrators and this is another one. I truly hate to make a gender-related blanket condemnation, but I've only run across this with women, as well as a sing-song intonation as if they're reading to a dull child. Obviously this isn't all women narrators or most women narrators, but at least in my experience it's only women narrators.

I've noticed this too. The sing-song thing, especially, seems to be becoming "normal". Very, very annoying. Ah, for the days of quiet, subtle, but compelling narration from a Donada Peters or Barbara Rosenblatt.

[SeaBookGuy]

I listen to a book read by Emily Woo Zeller a while back. Kind of obvious that she was chosen because she is a native Chinese speaker, but aside from that for certain words, names, and places, her narration was pretty bad I recall.

These days, I'm listening to the novel Care of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles. Took a while to get into the humor as the main character is very sarcastic.

[Catlady]

I have no problem with most female narrators; a majority of the books I listen to are by female authors, who tend to have female protagonists and therefore female narrators. I'm not a fan of Xe Sands, Tavia Gilbert, or Cassandra Campbell, but don't dislike them. Some narrators I like are Saskia Maarleveld, Hilary Huber, Imogen Church, January LaVoy, and Julia Whelan.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I have no problem with most female narrators; a majority of the books I listen to are by female authors, who tend to have female protagonists and therefore female narrators. I'm not a fan of Xe Sands, Tavia Gilbert, or Cassandra Campbell, but don't dislike them. Some narrators I like are Saskia Maarleveld, Hilary Huber, Imogen Church, January LaVoy, and Julia Whelan.

Most of the books I listen to have male narrators. It shouldn't matter, but it bothers me. But obviously the kinds of books I like to listen to are also more likely to be narrated by men.

That said, I think we might have similar reactions, as I actively dislike both Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell. I don't think I've ever listened to a narrator on your liked list. Women I've liked, in addition to the incomparable Nadia May, are Bernadette Dunne, Laural Merlington, Juliet Stevenson and Lisette Lecat.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

Most of the books I listen to have male narrators. It shouldn't matter, but it bothers me. But obviously the kinds of books I like to listen to are also more likely to be narrated by men.

That said, I think we might have similar reactions, as I actively dislike both Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell. I don't think I've ever listened to a narrator on your liked list. Women I've liked, in addition to the incomparable Nadia May, are Bernadette Dunne, Laural Merlington, Juliet Stevenson and Lisette Lecat.

Nadia May is a given. I don't know Lecat. and Merlington doesn't stand out for me. I like Dunne and Stevenson, but have not listened to anything they've narrated for a while. I like Kate Reading and Suzanne Toren too. And Madeleine Maby.

[CRussel]

Marguerite Gavin. Susan Erickson, Bernadette Dunne, Casaundra Freeman, Phyllida Nash, Allyson Johnson (though it took a bit), Elisabeth Rodgers, Orlagh Cassidy, Davina Porter And, of course, the two I already mentioned -- Nadia May/Donada Peters/Wanda McCaddon and Barbara Rosenblatt.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Nadia May is a given. I don't know Lecat. and Merlington doesn't stand out for me. I like Dunne and Stevenson, but have not listened to anything they've narrated for a while. I like Kate Reading and Suzanne Toren too. And Madeleine Maby.

Lecat does the U. S. recordings of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

Kate Reading is one of my favorites!

[issybird]

Since I was awake last night listening to the wind blow anyway, I decided on an audiobook as a distraction, and got through The Crooked Wreath by Christianna Brand, read by David Thorn. Excellent narration, the book was pretty typical Golden Age/locked room fare with better than average characterizations and interactions, but the prolonged and overwrought denouement dimmed the glitter somewhat.

I'm listening to a collection of George Orwell essays that's only an audiobook, titled Such, Such Were the Joys, read by Frederick Davidson, who does his usual excellent job. The essays are entertaining and provocative; unfortunately I see from Audible that there's a skipping problem later in the book. That just happened to me with another; I wish qc were better when audiobooks are remastered to digital.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I've noticed this too. The sing-song thing, especially, seems to be becoming "normal". Very, very annoying. Ah, for the days of quiet, subtle, but compelling narration from a Donada Peters or Barbara Rosenblatt.

The sing-song method was part of the problem I had with the narrator on the last book of the Craft Sequence, because it sometimes seemed she was JUST sing-songing the text and not making sense of it. It strikes me as a shortcut to get around the prep work (or not having time to do the prep work) of reading and marking up the text to be able to read it in a cadence that actually makes sense.

ETA: Currently listening to Spellmonger by Terry Mancour. I was in the mood for some fanta-comical fluff, and it fits the bill, with some unexpectedly decent worldbuilding. It is a bit of an adolescent male power fantasy, though, which is maybe written on the tin where wizards are involved. In a modern context, the protagonist's behavior would be viewed as sexual assault in one instance and sex trafficking of minors in another, without even getting into the sex magician ex-girlfriend, and I'm not all that far along in the book yet.